


The Path To Happiness

by BSBLover2538



Category: Backstreet Boys
Genre: Acceptance, Arguing, Coming Out, F/M, M/M, Punishment, Underage Kissing, Underage Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-30 15:53:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18318461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BSBLover2538/pseuds/BSBLover2538
Summary: Holden and Odin had a secret or two that they needed to reveal to their parents, and it goes as well as you expect it to.





	The Path To Happiness

Holden looked at his boyfriend, both strolling in the park, several miles away from both of their hometowns, holding his hand tightly, occasionally kissing their joined hands. He sighed, hating that they had to hide all of this. He looked down at Odin, knowing that neither of them had come out to their families. He wondered what his father would say. 

“Do you think we will ever be able to tell our families about us?” Odin looked up at the slightly older male, worry in his eyes. 

“God, I hope so, I hate this so much. Do you want to tell them?” Holden looked down, sneaking another kiss to Odin’s forehead. 

“I kind of do. I don’t want to hide anymore” Odin was tired of hiding, and lying to his family about where he was going. 

“Alright, why don’t we call a family meeting on Saturday? Get both of our parents together, tell them we need to talk to them” Holden suggested, and Odin nodded.

“Let’s do it at your place, Uncle Howie and Aunt Leigh sure are not going to have good reactions” Holden grimaced, nodding. His parent’s faith was strong, so he was sure they wouldn’t accept them. 

The couple continued their stroll of the park, a spark of indigestion in both of their stomachs, as they set a date for telling their families. The two went back to their cars, the two 17-year-olds having driven separately. They shared a kiss, leaning their foreheads against each other, sighing softly.

“Text me when you get home, so I know you are safe please” Holden asked his younger boyfriend, who nodded.

“Yes baby, I will, I always do” Holden nodded, and got in his car, driving back home. He opened the front door to see his parents watching tv, sharing a bottle of wine. 

“How was studying Holden?” Leigh asked, and he swallowed, hating lying to his parents. 

“Good, can we invite Odin, Uncle Nick, and Aunt Lauren over on Saturday, Odin and I need to talk to you guys” Holden looked up at his parents, who looked shocked. 

“Yes, is everything alright?” Howie asked concerned, and Holden nodded. 

“Yep, we just need to tell you something together” Howie looked at Leigh, who shrugged. 

“Alright, do we need to call James home as well?” James was off at college studying video game design, and often made trips home, only being a couple hours away. 

“No, it’s alright” Holden had secretly told James three months earlier, when he and Odin had gotten serious. James immediately accepted his brother, and was very happy for him. He understood Holden’s hesitance in telling their parents, never having to do that, being straight, but knowing that their parents’ faith was strong. James had been with his girlfriend for over three years, and was considering proposing to her after he graduated. 

“Alright, well it’s almost bedtime, go up to sleep” Holden nodded, and hugged his parents, and went up to his room, his gut churning. 

The next few days passed slowly, the couple seeing each other in their classes, and spending time together after school was over. They both knew that the family meeting would make or break their relationship. Saturday dawned, and Holden spent most of the morning and early afternoon in his room, working on homework, and trying to gather his thoughts and willpower to do this. 

“Holden, Uncle Nick, Aunt Lauren, and Odin are here!” Leigh called up to her youngest son, and Holden swallowed, squared his shoulders, and left his room. 

“Hey guys! How are you?” Holden asked as he bounded down the stairs, hugging his  psuedo  Aunt and Uncle. 

“Doing well, slightly concerned, but doing well” Nick responded, looking between his son and Holden, thinking something was going on between them, but shaking the idea off. 

“Alright, what do you boys need to tell us?” Howie looked at his son and Odin, feeling clueless. 

“Let’s go sit down in the living room” Holden ushered them all into the living room, and shared a couch with Odin, their parents going to the opposite couch and chairs. 

“We have been hiding something from each of you guys. Mom, dad, I’m gay” Odin looked at his parents, Nick and Lauren looking slightly shocked, but both quickly smiled at their son. 

“We had a feeling sweetheart. We love you, and accept you for who you are, and not who you love” Lauren got up and hugged her son, Nick following behind. 

“Thank you for telling us, I love you son. Never doubt that” Nick grinned at his son, who teared up, hugging him close. 

Holden closed his eyes, and sighed, knowing that his parents would not have the same reaction. 

“Mom, Dad, I am also gay. Odin and I have been dating for the last four months” Holden opened his eyes, to see his father storming out of the room, and his mother had a shocked look on her face. 

He hung his head, and tears came. He knew that his father wouldn’t take this well, at all. He felt arms surrounding him, and looked up to see his Aunt Lauren hugging him, while Nick was nowhere to be found. He assumed that he had followed his father, wherever he had gone to. 

“Holden, are you sure? Is this not a phase?” Leigh asked, trying to wrap her head around this. 

“Mom, I am gay. I’ve known since I was little. Going to church every Sunday was painful. Hearing the priest preaching against who I am, hurt, weekly” Holden admitted, looking his mother dead in the eyes. 

Leigh shook her head, sighing softly. She knew that Howie wasn’t happy, and Holden didn’t deserve to have two parents pissed off. She looked up at her youngest son, biting her lip. 

“Holden, this is going to take time. I am having a hard time coming around to this. Just give me time please. I do love you, and I am happy that you are happy. It’s a shock to me, I never expected one of my sons to be gay” Leigh admitted, and Holden nodded. He sighed, knowing that’s the best he would get from his mother for now. 

Meanwhile, Nick had followed Howie into his office. Howie was upset, he thought he had raised his boys to be good Catholics. He knew that his son would be living in sin, and he wasn’t sure he could accept this. 

“What the hell was that Howie?” Nick asked, incredulity in his tone. 

“I raised my boys to be good Catholics, that means marrying a woman, having a couple kids. The American dream. I never expected one of my sons to be gay” Howie admitted, rubbing his face. 

“That is your son, and you are basically telling him that he is worthless to you, that you wasted the last 17 years raising him. You disown him, we will take him in, and you will have to explain to the others why I am no longer part of the group” Nick threatened, so done with the religious rhetoric that Howie was spewing. 

“Nick! I never said I would disown Holden. I won’t do that. This is just going to take time. I need to adjust the outlook I had for one of my children. I need to accept the fact that my son is going to be going against something I have always been told is immoral, and against my beliefs” Howie retorted hotly. 

Both fathers were boring looks at the other, neither backing down. Finally, Nick sighed heavily, and nodded his head, accepting Howie’s words. He rubbed his temples, and looked at the older man. 

“You positive you aren’t disowning Holden? I don’t want him to fear either of you. I know what it’s like to fear your parents, and I don’t want that to happen to any of our kids” Howie looked at Nick, and saw the scared little boy that had started with them all those years ago, the one who clung to Brian on their first overseas trip. 

“Nick, I promise you, Leigh and I are not disowning Holden, or throwing him out. We will both reassure him that we love him, and will be there for him” Howie looked into Nick’s eyes, and the younger blonde could see that Howie was telling him the truth. He nodded softy, and hugged the older man tightly. 

“Let’s go back out there and be with our sons” Howie nodded, and the two went back out into the living room. They walked into seeing Holden hugging Leigh, while Odin was being lectured about lying to his parents by Lauren. 

“Holden, can I talk to you please?” Howie looked at his son, who nodded, standing up, looking every bit as determined and headstrong as Howie was. 

“Holden. I love you, and will be there for you always, never doubt that. Mom and I just need to come to terms with the fact that our son has a different road paved for him, then the one we thought he would take” Howie took his sons face in his hands, and looked at the eyes, that were so much like his. He leaned over and kissed Holden’s forehead, before hugging him tightly, Leigh joining in after a few moments. 

After an emotional hug, they pulled away, and looked at each other, smiling. Holden was relieved. He could be with Odin, and be happy. He would wait for his parents to catch up, he knew it wouldn’t take long. 

“Okay, did I hear you correctly? You and Odin have been dating for four months? You have been lying to us for four months?” Howie shook his head, remembering what his son had said when he had told them he was gay. 

“ Ummm , maybe?” at his parent’s glare, Holden sighed, and nodded his head. 

“Yes, we have been going to the next town over, to their park, to have dates, when I said I was at the library studying” Holden hung his head, knowing he wouldn’t be seeing Odin outside of school for a little while. 

Howie and Leigh looked at Nick and Lauren, nodding towards the kitchen. The two sets of parents left their sons alone, to decide on punishment. Odin and Holden embraced, sighing happily. 

“Thank god that is over with” Holden leaned down, laying his forehead against Odin’s, sharing a couple of kisses. 

“Yes, really” Odin agreed, and the two just held each other, blocking the world out.

“Ahem!” the boys jumped apart, and looked at their parents, who were smirking softly. 

“Two weeks. That is the punishment, including  weekends.  You may text until 8pm on school days, 10 on the weekends. School, and then home. Obviously, you two will see each other in school, but nothing outside of that” Nick said firmly, Lauren, Leigh, and Howie nodding along. 

Odin and Holden hung their heads, but nodded. They could do two weeks; the weekends would suck though. Nick and Howie looked at each other rolling their eyes. Seems the two lovebirds forgot that the next two weekends were already planned with family events, meaning the boys would see each other for a little while. 

Nick, Lauren, and Odin soon left, the two couples giving their sons a few minutes alone to say goodbye. Holden looked at his parents, who smiled softly at him. 

“James knows, doesn’t he?” Leigh asked, and sighed at Holden’s nod. She hated the fact that her son had hid this for so long, but she couldn’t blame him, not with how Howie and she had raised them. 

“I told him not long after Odin and I got serious” Holden admitted. He wasn’t going to lie to his parents anymore. 

“I figured as much” Leigh hugged her youngest, and Holden smiled softly at her. 

“Love you Mom. Go ing to  go back up to my room, work on some more homework. Call me when dinner is ready” Leigh nodded, and Holden went back up to his room, pulling his phone out. 

“Love you baby. Can’t wait to see you Monday at school <3” the text that he sent to Odin read, and he soon got a reply. 

“Love you two  sweetie . Counting down the hours <3” Holden smiled at the reply, tucking his phone away, opening his history textbook back up. 

He knew that it would take time, but he had his parents in his corner. He looked out the window of his room, silently asking for peace for his parents, and their journey of acceptance. Holden was finally happy, and could be who he was, openly and proudly. 


End file.
